What I Have Learned

One hope that I have when I think about working with young children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I continue to make a difference in the lives of the families and children enrolled in my facility and within my community.  I hope that one day each and everyone of can put our differences aside and realize that we are all of the human race, regardless of our sexual orientation, color of our skin, socioeconomic status, and religious background. We all belong and deserve to be treated with equality.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to continue to work towards Level 6 in surpassing my discomforts and biases. I plan to conduct my Parent's Night workshops on a quarterly, consistent basis to create unity within the early childhood field.  There needs to be a hand in hand partnership between parents and the early childhood professionals in order to ensure that we respect diversity, equity, and social justices of all people.  "The more passion you have about the need of for creating a world of justice and peace for children, the more you will be able to make it a priority in your work (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for sharing their knowledge and experiences with me!  This course has indeed caused each of us to dig deep into our inner souls and come to terms with our discomforts and biases.  I hope to experience more of your knowledge from the next course if we are together.  Good luck on your future endeavors!

References

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

             ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young

             Children (NAEYC)

Diversity Is Me

Diversity Is Me

I am the one that does not look like you

I am the one that hurts like you when I’m feeling blue

I am the one that deserves a chance

To be respected and given the opportunity to advance

My skin tone, you ask? It was not my choice

But I was raised and taught by both of my parents to use my voice

Fried chicken, collard greens, red beans and rice

Sometimes I did not want my food, so I fed it to mice

My gender, my race, and my age should not be

 

A determining factor of being treated with equality

You say you don’t want to shake my hand because I am black

Did you get the memo? Being black is something you can not catch

Please do not exclude me because you think I don’t know

For knowledge is key and three degrees later it shows

The world will be a better place if everyone could just embrace and see

That diversity is a part of YOU and ME!

Author-Theresa Johnson

"We Don't Say Those Words In Class!"

There are many times that I have witnessed a child being reprimanded for pointing out someone they saw as different.  One incident that I recall involved myself and a little Caucasian girl that may have been no older than the age of three.

I worked at a Foot Locker store before I began my career in early childhood.  I was helping a customer try on shoes.  I vaguely heard a soft little voice say "What color are you?'  I turned around and there was this cute little blond baby with all signs of curiosity in her eyes.  She was so innocent and she could tell that I looked very different from her.  After the little girl asked me about my color, I did not respond because I was a little unsure of what to say, so the little girl proceeded to ask me again as she followed me around the store.

The little girl's father looked mortified! He kept apologizing to me and saying that he and his wife do not teach differences.  He told the little girl to tell me that she was sorry.  I told the father that I was not offended by any means and there was no need for an apology.  I explained to him that I was impressed by the fact that she was observant enough to notice that she and I were two different colors.  I did ask the father if it would be okay for me to answer her and he said absolutely.  I told her that I was black and gave her a hug!

As the little girl and her mom and dad proceeded to leave the store, the little girl kept turning around, smiling, and waving goodbye to me!